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September Newsletter

 Wow!

This is how I feel after the last month! 

There's a benediction we pray in the daily office from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus.

Our Baptismal Font
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

This month I've seen God do more than I've asked or thought! 

Updates

  • I was able to take some time off for a personal retreat, camping trip with the family, and a solo backpacking trip. Over that time I experienced renewal in my life with God and calling at Shalom. I had been in a funk and getting extended time alone with Jesus was what I needed.
  • A few weeks ago we baptized two children and an entire household (parents and 3 kids). Baptizing a household was something I had never done before and it reminded me of what we see in the book of Acts as the gospel spread. It has been an amazing thing to watch an entire family come to faith and get catechized at Shalom!
  • Our "new" pews!
    In the church we meet in we've been using some old donated chairs. A few weeks ago I noticed some pews on Fb marketplace. After enquiring more I found out they were the exact length and the exact number we needed. Not only that they were only a 20 min drive away. Not only that but the owners decided to donate them to us and deliver them for a small fee! It was an incredible few days seeing God provide these beautiful pews!
  • We've had a member of our church awaiting surgery for the past few months. The good news is, he had a successful surgery yesterday and is home recovering. It's been so encouraging to see is how several members of our church have cared for him leading up to the surgery and are with him in recovery. One even staying the night to make sure he was okay!  Not only that but one member took his car in for repairs and a local mechanic donated $1200 worth of labor to fix it! 

Prayer

  • As we head into the fall please pray for a new "Anglican Way" class that I'm working on and hope to offer this fall.
  • Also pray for wisdom and clarity around an Admin role we need to add to our part time staff. 
  • Please pray for Beth and I and her parents who live with us as we are in the process of moving to another local house/property! It's a cool story that I'll share more of in the future! 
For the Shalom of Kitsap,

Father Rob






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